Pakistan, China activate boundary joint commission in Islamabad

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A file image of the Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif and the Chinese President Xi Jinping. | Photo Credit: AP

Pakistan and China have operationalised a joint mechanism for managing their common border, a move rejected by India, which said that the body has no legal basis to decide on arrangements related to Indian territory under illegal occupation.

The inaugural meeting of the Commission — based on the 2013 Agreement on the Boundary Management System — was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad on Wednesday (September 17, 2026), according to a statement issued by the Foreign Office.

India on Wednesday (September 17, 2026) rejected the "so-called" boundary joint commission set up by Pakistan and China, saying that the body has no legal basis to decide on arrangements related to Indian territory under illegal occupation.

India has been consistently maintaining that Pakistan's handing over of certain territories such as Shaksgam Valley to China in 1963 was illegal and unacceptable.

New Delhi has also opposed the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor as part of it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

On Thursday (September 17, 2026), Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan rejected Indian concerns regarding the new border mechanism with China and the bilateral border agreement of 1963.

ALSO WATCH India rejects “so-called” joint boundary commission set up by Pakistan and China

He said that the 1963 agreement was a “valid arrangement concluded between Pakistan and China”.

Khan also said that China is not only “our neighbour but an all-weather strategic corporate partner. Our ironclad ties have withstood the test of time.” He also said that Jammu and Kashmir "remains an internationally recognised disputed territory whose final disposition is to be determined in accordance with the United Nations Security Council resolutions and aspirations of the Kashmiri people..." Separately, Pakistan and China agreed to enhance cooperation in police training exchange programmes and in modern technology and equipment.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said that China’s AI-based technology and modern equipment can greatly help address security challenges, adding that Pakistan wants to further expand cooperation with China in internal security.

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